| Without warning, the silvery light that appeared to bring new people from other worlds and old items from home appears once more, and this time it lingers, forming portals as tall as an average human near each of the three Ingress shrines. The location does not appear to be a coincidence; this time, the portals are translucent, revealing the destination on the other side. Instead of taking Avagi's residents to the future, it will take them to another world.
If they step through the portal, travelers will find something far different from where they've been living this last month: Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats.
Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here.
In the weeks to come, the stabilized portals will provide a respite from the more confined lifestyle aboard Avagi. Travelers are warmly welcomed and encouraged to explore the land. Some things they'll find include...
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With all their material needs taken care of, the civilization on Kaittos has come to highly value cultivation of the mind. The city itself is full of what can only be generalized as culture. Theaters, art galleries and sizable libraries can be found on every tier, but what they offer is not contained by their walls. Street musicians appear on every other corner, artists are easily found sketching at beautiful viewpoints or interested passersby, and people are as likely to find themselves pulled in to participate in a scene or improvisational performance as they are to witness one. Public debate and rhetoric are also valued, with credit given for style and clarity as much as substance. At the center of the city, a large conservatory teaches lessons in many fields to anyone who cares to study.
This love of culture is so encompassing that visitors who wish to acquire items or resources will find that culture is also the main form of currency. To get something, they will have to give something. Those with skills that fall into traditional arts and culture could offer a piece of art, a music lesson or participation in a debate with other philosophical scholars, perhaps. But visitors will also find that the locals have a deep hunger for information and wish to learn about other worlds; if they can offer nothing else, sitting down with a scholar to record a tale of folklore or an adventure from their own. Lessons in whatever skills they possess are likely to be eagerly sought after, although the aptitude to learn them may not be there.
For those who wish to gain resources or make purchases, a bartering economy does exist to a degree, but it is difficult to break into, as there is little that the locals would truly need from their visitors. The exchange of knowledge is much more prized. Keep in mind, though, that while the Kaittans are not ungenerous, they have an eye for value—the more precious something is, the more travelers will have to offer to earn it, and individuals have their preferences. What might be just the thing desired by one could be pooh-poohed by another.
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While many on Kaittos see food as the fuel that keeps their bodies going so they may better cultivate their minds, others see cooking itself as an art. This is especially prevalent in this section of the city, located deep in the heart of the city, where chefs toil over new recipes and experiment with new ingredients, serving meals free of charge—unless you consider sitting through a lengthy survey afterwards to be a payment, of course.
Although some meals are unpalatable or even dangerous to human bodies, most can be enjoyably consumed. However, around one in five chefs make extensive use of a particular herb that is incredibly delicious—and somewhat addicting. Those who begin to develop a dependency will visit again and again, and the more they consume, the more they may not want to leave at all...
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Spoken of in hushed voices, this section of woods is regarded with great caution. A space of around ten acres is home to many natural springs that form natural pools between copses of trees, many of which hang dropping branches with deep blue leaves over the surface of the water. If asked, the locals will say that this place is where some very old Kaittans—which are an extremely long-lived species—who have decided they've studied everything available in the world and mastered every skill they can, go to "renew" themselves. They prefer to speak of it in vague terms, as specific discussion of this choice is seen as something of a faux pas. If greatly pressed, it is possible to learn the details ahead of time—but difficult.
The truth is that the water of the springs, when mixed with a chemical secreted by the fallen blue leaves, represses memories of those who drink it. Not to the point of complete amnesia; a sip might do away with the recollection of a particular book that was enjoyed, while multiple glasses might hide the memory of a longer period of time. However, there is no control over what is forgotten, or how much is too much. The Kaittans who grow too frustrated with what they view as stagnancy drink to forget so they may have the joy of learning all over again, but the lack of control makes it a risky choice—and some continue to return to drink after they otherwise would have, as they have forgotten what they wanted to forget.
(Of note to those of the psychic persuasion: memories affected by the spring water are not utterly obliterated, but merely deeply sublimated. It is possible to retrieve them, but it would be a challenge, especially if the placement of the memory gaps are not obvious.) |
| While Kaittos’ architecture and culture includes plenty to admire, a few points of interest stand both literally and figuratively above the rest. Three large pyramids tower over the landscape, shining the brilliant metallic blue of a local ore. Over the coming weeks, these structures will be adorned with temporary murals and hangings—apparently, a yearly celebration is approaching.
What kind of celebration? The kind, fortunately (?), that visitors are welcome to join in! November 23 marks the anniversary of what they call the Great Awakening: a visit by a powerful spirit that opened their people's awareness to worlds and cultures outside their own. For the next few weeks, the temples offer welcome to anyone who wishes to participate in their trials. On the day of the Awakening, all who succeed will experience a remnant of the spirit's gift. While descriptions of the process vary, all center around heightened awareness: of each other, and of worlds and places far beyond their shores. Those who decide to make this attempt may choose which temple—and which trial—they would face.
Trial of Life
A test for warriors and scouts, this trial is not recommended to the casual. On entering the temple, participants will find themselves in a maze of obstacles and passages, struggling for survival against dangers both mobile and environmental. To succeed, they must pass inside with no more resources or weapons than can be carried in two hands, and survive for a period of five days. The attackers and hazards within the space are phantasms generated by the temple: solid enough to harm or kill, but prone to re-appearing even once a region should be cleared.
Needless to say, extensive warnings will be given to those expressing interest in the trial. Most who attempt do so in groups, and teamwork among participants is readily encouraged. Those who need to leave early are welcome to do so, but fleeing does count as a failure.
Trial of Communion
The inside of this temple is divided up into a series of open booths. Participants are assigned a station, and will be approached by members of the local population with various disputes that require arbitration. The purpose of the trial is twofold: to assist others with their problems, and to test those making the attempt—in patience, debate, and their skill at resolving conflict through the use of words.
No authority is granted to those taking this test. None of those who come before them are obliged to listen. The participants will be presented with conflicts that have been saved up through the year, and required to work out a solution. This can include anything from property disputes to marriage arguments to literal children's squabbles. Breaks are allowed for food and basic rest, but otherwise, those taking the trial will need to spend five days in continual discourse for the sake of others. Those who give up on any problems brought before them or resort to violence in solving them are considered to have failed the trial.
Trial of Healing
The third temple presents no dangers, whether to one's life or to one's sanity. Instead, it serves as a medical center. Those stepping inside will experience a strange peacefulness and sense of comfort—one the full-time staff confirm has helped many patients to recover. While this temple is open throughout the year, the weeks preceding the Awakening are nonetheless a time of gathering: when healers of all disciplines will come together to assist those in need.
While doctors or healers are welcome to share information with their peers, no special skill or training is required to attempt this trial. Instead, participants are asked to spend a period of ten days doing whatever work is required to assist the sick. While most of the ailments brought to the temple are longer-term in nature, it also functions as a triage center for those harmed in the Temple of Life. |
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thisavrou_log2017-11-09 08:50 pm
diana prince | dceu | ota
When the portal appears, Diana is understandably wary. Even though she doesn't feel the undeniable need to pass through it as she did when she came to Avagi, there is still something about it that draws her in for a closer look. When she peers through the portal, she doesn't know what to expect--but it certainly isn't Kaittos. And she expects even less so the nearly overwhelming feeling of homesickness that washes over her as she sees smooth marble and a sparkling ocean.
This must be a dream.
There is no hesitation as she steps through the portal. She smells the salt in the air, feels the warm sun beating down on her skin. Diana reaches out, gently placing her hand on a nearby column. The stone is cool to the touch, and perfectly formed. Tears prick at her eyes, and she doesn't try to stop them from falling. She knows this isn't Themyscira, but the similarities are so obvious to her that she cannot ignore the ache in her heart. Her voice is hardly above a whisper. "It's beautiful."
PALE AS A GHOST IN THE AFTERNOON [THE OCEAN]
Diana does not know how long they will be able to stay on this paradise of a planet, but she doesn't plan to waste a minute of it. One of the first things she does after meeting the natives and paying her respects to their temples is scan the coastline for the tallest possible point against the sky. Said point happens to be a cliff, covered in beautiful greenery and jutting several yards out over the shore.
It is perfect, and she climbs it with inhuman vigor.
Diana has set her sandals off to the side, hiding them in a small thicket beside a boulder. Her toes dangle over the edge of the bluff, the wind caressing her skin and the smell of salt and earth thick in her nose. Diana smiles to herself, spreads her arms to her sides, and jumps, falling into a graceful dive.
TRAGEDY HAS A HOLD OF MY MIND [OUT IN THE STREETS]
When she'd discovered that the main form of trade on Kaittos revolved around the exchange of knowledge, Diana had been thrilled. She has always been an eager student (much to her aunt's dismay), and had read every text and scroll Themyscira had to offer. So when she ventures out to find new, more suitable clothing, she is armed with nothing but her mind and wit.
Five debates, three short swordsmanship lessons, one rudimentary course in Ancient Greek, and a handful of archery exercises later, Diana has acquired no new clothing, but instead accrued several small pieces of handmade jewelry, an entire basket of native fruit (that she was assured many times over would not be toxic to her), three strange seedpods, and a host of wonderful knowledge. She sits in a café-like area, munching happily on a bright blue fruit and watching as people pass her by.
BUT I CAN SEE THE LIGHT BETWEEN THE LINES [THE FOREST]
Though the water looks completely innocent, Diana had managed to pry its true purpose out of one of her debate partners during a post-discussion meal. She had gone to bed that night disturbed, uncertain what to think of the possibilities brought to light by the springs. She stands in the grove, still several yards away from the spring's banks, arms crossed and back pressed to a tall tree.
How easy it would be to forget. To rid herself of the lingering heartbreak, the homesickness, the sight of the lifeless faces of soldiers and civilians alike when she closes her eyes. Her memories are extensive--thousands of years' worth of recollections crowding her mind--but only the past several months could disappear. No more remembering the hurt and betrayal in her mother's eyes, no more muffled I wish we had more time running through her brain as she tried to sleep at night.
Her fingers curl into her forearms, nails digging into her skin. It would be so easy--and yet she finds it the most difficult decision in the world right now.
AND I SAY YOU'VE GOT TO LISTEN [TRIAL OF LIFE]
A trial, a gauntlet, is exactly what Diana needs right now. A challenge she can fight her way through, something to get the adrenaline pumping through her veins again. She brings only her shield and her Lasso, along with a small sack of rations pressed upon her by one of the natives she showed how to wield a sword. At the insistence of the trial's judge, she had chosen a partner--and she turns to them now, a grin spread across her lips.
"Are you ready?"
I'M A SONGBIRD WITH A BRAND NEW TRACK [WILDCARD]
[i am open to just about anything!! diana comes from an island very similar to kaittos, and is in her element here. i can be reached via pm or on plurk at
The Forest.
He doesn't see Diana head-on. Instead, he sees her out of the corner of his eye, his feet slowing to a stop. It's the red and blue of her outfit that catches his attention, odd colors to see in a forest, but then his head fully turned, his mouth fully open.
There is absolutely no denying it. There is no other person he knows in existence that would wear that outfit. It wasn't exactly as he remembered it, but it was close enough in memory, her face exactly as he always pictured it in person, that his heart is thrown up into his throat.
"Diana of Themyscira?" his voice carries between the trees, a whisper of complete and total awe. He naively doesn't think about her stance, the pain that's carried with it. He's too blindsided by his own childish amazement at seeing one of his biggest heroes in the flesh. His branch drops.
"You're- oh my God!" Eddie can't help but shriek a little, hands going to his face, his eyes lit up like the Rockefeller Center itself.
"You're Princess Diana! Of Themyscira!" He breathes each statement like it's part of a holy scripture. Hell, it might as well be.
this is the cutest shit
A strange emotion fills her chest. It's akin to pride, but not the kind that comes from winning a bout or finishing a project. No, this is a pride that stems from someone showing clear admiration--though Diana doesn't know it as such. In her mind, her deeds do not yet warrant such esteem; she had only done her duty in the war, as any true Amazon would have in her place.
The moment of stillness passes, and a gentle smile lights her face. Though she doesn't know how he knows her name, she responds kindly nonetheless. "I am," she affirms. The Amazon tilts her head slightly, placing one hand on her hip and gesturing to him with the other. The Lasso of Hestia glows faintly at her side, and the round edges of her shield peek out from behind her shoulders. "But I am afraid I do not know who you are. What may I call you, young one?"
diana with children is heart melting. diana with eddie is obliterating.
God though, her kindness and goodness radiated from her and Eddie felt so settled. His hands clutched at the chest of his shirt, his shyness still wrapped around him like a second skin despite his excitement.
"You're my hero," Eddie confesses quietly, in a voice that trembled at the edges. His eyes catch that lasso, and he almost wants to ask to touch it. It was the lasso of truth! The Lasso of Hestia. And was that her shield...?
"Oh! I'm...I'm Eddie Kaspbrak," he says, lowering his hands down. He was filled with an urge to hug her, to see if she was real.
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Diana moves forward, letting her arms fall to her sides. "A hero, hm?" She likes the sound of that. "Well, I am glad to meet you, Eddie Kaspbrak." And she really, truly is. She had been the only child to ever exist on Themyscira, and never had anyone her own age to interact with. In many ways, she is still a child--finding joy in the simplest things, getting into things she shouldn't. But Eddie is a real child, young and in need of protection, and it's easy for her to recognize that. "What are you doing out here in the woods, Eddie?"
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"It's. I'm happy to meet you too," he finally manages, and he wants to clap himself on the back for not sounding completely stupid. Eddie Kaspbrak certainly was in a little bit of need for protection. The kid wasn't exactly built to last.
"I was just exploring," he confesses easily. Most adults, as far as Eddie was concerned, were unnerving to him. But Diana? No. Diana he felt he already knew, he felt he could trust. That Lasso alone was proof of that.
"I like forests. They're- I know they're dangerous, but I like them." A pause. Eddie hadn't really paid too much attention to the springs, but now he does, staring over at them with a curious look on his face for all of a split second before his eyes went back to Diana. Why was she here alone after all? Kids wandered aimlessly by themselves all the time. Adults? Not so much.
"What are you doing here?"
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when you thought you responded to something...but then didn't....sorry for the delay ;o;
np! i'm behind on a lot of tags because of irl things so don't even worry about it
forest
[He was out here for a different reason, this time. Out here to see if there were any kind of seeds or other plants to take back with them. Things they could plant. And use in the greenery. Really, anything. Unlike her, Shiro hadn't managed to glean what the purpose of the springs are, so his reasons are entirely mundane.]
[The look on her face is more of a concern than anything else, though.]
Are you all right?
forest
Diana pauses, considering.]
... Yes. I'm just thinking. About this place.
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[He takes a few steps closer to her, pure concern in his face. But stops, taking a slow look around.]
What is this place?
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It is a spring sacred to the people here. They use it to "renew" themselves.
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[He takes a few steps closer to her. Honestly, he can't help the concern. She's a friend, she's important. Therefore, she's earned his concern, his sympathy. His eyes flick from the spring to her face again.]
... is it?
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arrival
But the woman crying against a pillar snaps her out of her thoughts immediately. Lena approaches her with a concerned frown on her face, giving her a quick once-over to check for injury. She can't see anything, so it must be something else. Once she's within arm's length, she places a gloved hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Are you okay, love?"
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"I... I think so." She rubs a hand across her face to wipe away her tears, and turns to the woman who had addressed her. Small, and only slightly familiar, but with an amicable face. Diana smiles, reaching out to mimic Lena's gesture, placing her hand on a shoulder. A smile finds her face, brilliant though it is small. "You are kind to ask. Thank you."
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Lena smiles warmly in response.
"'course. D'you wanna talk about it?"
She won't be offended if Diana doesn't take her up on the offer, but she may as well make it anyway.
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"This place is remarkably similar to the island I grew up on," she finally offers. "Seeing such sights, when I thought I might never again... it is a lot to take in." The truth, she's found, has always been the best way to talk to people, and to deal with her own feelings. There's no use lying about them to anybody. Doing so would just cause more hurt and confusion.
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She wants to say that they'll all get back home someday, but nothing right now points the way. So she doesn't say it-- she doesn't want to make false assurances. Instead, she smiles.
"You grew up in a gorgeous place."
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ocean
Then the woman takes a leap and dives in spectacular fashion, leaving Clara a little awestruck. Diana is tall and leggy, and graceful. Everything Clara would like to be. But Clara is short and not at all leggy, and is only graceful by mistake. Still, since there's perfectly good company in the water Clara takes a running leap and dives right on off.
Her dive is best described as flailing limbs and flipping mid air until she manages to land in the water with a much larger splash than someone her size has any right making. She surfaces a few seconds later and starts to swim out toward Diana.
"You don't mind company, do you?"
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When she opens her eyes, only slightly stinging of salt, she sees someone--a young woman, she realizes--leaping into the water after her. The Amazon can't help but watch her dive with just the slightest bit of amusement. The splash that sprays over her face is actually endearing, and she lets out a laugh, a few quick strokes bringing her up closer to the other woman. "Not at all. In fact, I am glad for it." A brilliant smile lights her face, and she nods in greeting, arms busy helping her tread water. "Your diving technique is... unique."
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"Maybe you could teach me?"
The idea of spending a day cliff diving doesn't sound half bad. Of course, she hasn't thought about the ordeal of climbing up that high over and over again.
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Before starting towards the shore, she realizes that an introduction may be in order. "I am Diana. What is your name?"
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"I'm Clara," she calls out as she starts to swim toward the shore. She's not exactly experienced or skilled at swimming, so it's pretty easy to catch up and pass her. "Where did you learn to dive the way you do? Most people would be too afraid to even climb up that high."
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ocean
But by the time he reaches her, she's... diving off said cliff. Well, shit. He jogs over and watches her hit the water like a fucking pro, muttering under his breath, 'Holy shit'.
Clearly, he has to join her. So, he calls down to her, both hands cupped around his mouth, "How's the water?"
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As she's blinking saltwater out of her eyes, she hears a familiar voice calling from above. A voice she knows--coming from a mouth, a face, a body she knows. But the person behind those physical features is not the same one she mourned in her world. And she knows how dangerous it would be for her to wish he was, or convince herself he was.
Diana sets her feelings aside for the time being, knowing she will have to revisit them later. She smiles up the cliff, though she's almost certain Kirk cannot see her. "Lovely! You should join me!"
streets
"Hey." He claims the chair across from her, an easy smile on his face. He's still armored, because this is a foreign world, but comfortable enough to have his helmet dangling from his free hand. "Nice place, huh?"
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